Controlling mechanism



E. WILLIAMS.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 1919.

1,353,368. PatentedSept. 21,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

J fivuezzior 12h blur/m Attorney E. WILLIAMS.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 0C T. 24. 1919.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

s s o e o o I o 0 f m o y 7 6 O o a a o 0 P o o O O a e o a a 6 o O c O O o o Attained UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' EDWARD WILLIAMS, or BIRMINGHAM; ENGLAND.

coN'rnoL me MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters'Patentl Patented 21,

Application filed Gctober 24., 1919. Serial No. 333,098.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD WILLIAMS, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 17 Sandon road, Edgbaston, in the city of Birmingham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvementslielating to Controlling Mechanisms, of which the-following is a specification.

lhis invention has for its object to provide improved mechanical relays or controlling mechanisms.

The invention comprises the use for actuating an operator, ofa mechanically driven clutch the parts of which are in constant operative connection, and the movement of one of which is controlled through the medium of stops automatically or by hand. In particular the invention comprises the use ofa friction clutch one part of which is connected to a driving shaft and the other to an operator. the latter part being controlled by stops which are releasedor engaged by manually or mechanically actuated mechanism. I

Referring to the two accompanying sheets of explanatory diagrams Figure l is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 an end elevation partly in section of a mechanical relay or controlling mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention. I

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate alternative forms of driven cams and stop devices.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a cam in conjunction with a stop ring to which it is connected through reduction gearing.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the arrangement shown comprises a shaft (1- which rotates slowly and a shaft 6 which rotates quickly. The shaft b is fitted with a friction clutch. One member a of the clutch is fixed to the shaft while the other (5 which is free on the shaft is held constantly in frictional contact with the fixed clutch member by a spring 6. With the free clutch member is formed or secured a cam f which through the medium of an operator in the form of a lever 9 can impart motion from the cam to any mechanism which it is required to actuate. With the same member is also arranged a pair of stops h. Either of these stops can be engaged by a projection 71 on a control lever j which is actuated by striking pieces In on a disk Z secured to the slow running sh The stop h are n t in the same plane but are arranged in a staggored relationship. Alternatively a lever withstaggered projectionsmay be arranged with the member 03, and one or more stops provided on the said member.

The fixed clutch member 0 tends constantly to rotate the free member '(lbut the latter is prevented from rotation by the en-' gagement of one of'its stopswith the projection on the control lever. -When.the latter is actuated by a striking piece on. :the disk of the slow running shaft it gradually slides the projection i away from the stop it and eventually moves it into a free position.

At this instant the free clutch member is quickly rotated by the fixed clutch member and during'its rotation the cam performs the required movement of the operator At the completion. o-f-this movement the other stop engages the control lever projection'and the motionfofthe free. clutch memher is arrested.

From the foregoing. it will be seen that while the motion of the control lever may be slow the motion of the operator is performed rapidlyj Moreover the mechanism employed is of simple construction, is reliablein actionand does not depend for its working upon fine adjustments. Instead of the control lever being actuated automatically it may be operated by hand.

The cam f above described may be adapted to produce one complete oscillation of the operator in each revolution, or it 'may be shaped to produce any desired number of oscillations. An example of such a cam is shown in Fig. 3. In conjunction with the cam any desired number of stops may be arranged and the disposition of these may be varied in a number of ways. For example as shown in Figs.. 3 and 4 one convenient arrangement of stops consists of a number of'pegs inserted in any of a number of holes situated around the circumference of the part to which the stops are attached. When it is desired to provide a large number of stops, then to avoid undue crowdin the steps may be arranged as shown in igs. 6 and 7 around a drum of relatively large diameter which is driven by an internally or externally toothed wheel gearing n with the striking pieces which actuate the control e er a e adapted to i pa t to the sa d ever lateral movements of different amounts. A movement of the control lever suflicient to carry its projection from one stop to the next results in an angular movement of the cam equal to the distance between those A largernrnovement of'the controlstops.

lever carries its projection into alinement V 'onl nism may be employed for effecting gear changes on motor vehicles. The particular mechanisms above speclfied are given as illustrations.

aving thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1 1. In a mechanicalrelay or controlling mechanism,the combination comprising an operator, a clutch driving shaft, a two-part friction clutch one part of which is connected to the driving shaft, a cam on the other clutch part for actuating the operator a stop in conjunction with the second named clutch part, and a lever for arresting and releasing the stop, substantially as described.

2. In a mechanical relay or controlling mechanism, the combination comprising an operator, aclutch driving shaft, a two-part friction clutch one part of which is connected to the driving shaft, the other part being adapted to actuate the operator, a stop in conjunction with the second named clutch part, a lever for arresting and releasing the stops, a striking piece for actu ating the lever, and a shaft for actuating the striking piece, substantially as described.

3. In a mechanical relay or controlling operator lever, a clutch driving shaft, a twopart friction clutch one part of which is conmechanism, the'combination comprising an nected to the shaft, a cam on the other part for actuating the operator lever,'a spring holding the clutch parts in constant operative connection, a plurality of stops in con- EDWARD WILLIAMS. 

